Final Straw
by random-laughter
Summary: Harry doesn't think that he can take any more from Draco. Now what should he do? HPDM


A/N: this little one-shot came about from a line in another story I read ages ago that kind of inspired me….of course now I can't remember the author name, so if someone figures it out, or realizes that this seems like one of theirs, let me know so I can give you the credit you're due! I hate not giving people their credit, because then they get mad at me for no reason!

A/N 2: I am for the moment labeling this as a one-shot. If someone can convince me otherwise, I might make a second chapter, but for the moment, this is how it is going to stay. I hope people like it!

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be worrying about how I'm going to afford groceries this week

Harry sat on the couch watching television. It had taken him six months since the time Draco had started spending most of his time here for him to finally convince Draco to allow Harry to buy it, and now Harry was lucky if he actually got a chance to see it. Draco was usually glued to it, watching some odd game show, and then talking about how fascinating he found it. Harry would usually sit by and listen to all this with a smile on his face. He loved to hear the wonder that would enter Draco's voice… but today wasn't one of those days.

Harry's happy mood suddenly deteriorated as he thought of the reason Draco was gone. He was out buying dress robes for the Ministry celebration tonight. Harry wasn't looking forward to it, but not for the most obvious reason of his popularity. No, it had to do with Draco Malfoy and the question of what he was doing other then buying his robes.

Harry and Draco had started seeing each other after they had left Hogwarts four years ago. Things had gotten increasingly more exclusive, until six months into the relationship; Harry had walked out of a shop one day to see Draco flirting outrageously with a man outside of a shop across the road. Later that night, they had gotten into the biggest fight of their relationship. Harry had screamed that they were dating, and that Draco shouldn't just be flirting with other people when Harry was just across the road from him. Draco had yelled back that he was only human, and could look at any man or woman he wanted since they weren't exclusive. When Harry had said that he didn't see other people, Draco had told him that that was his problem, and that he shouldn't be angry with Draco for his inability to flirt successfully. As far as Draco was concerned, that was all that their fight had boiled down to.

They had spent two weeks not speaking to each other after that, and when they finally saw each other again, nonverbally agreed to never speak of the fight again. Ever since, Harry had had to sit by and watch Draco flirt with every attractive man or woman that he met. He had no shame with doing it when they were at dinner, or when they were out with Harry's friends. Harry had tried to turn away from it, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore. Harry had made up his mind: if Draco wouldn't listen to his pleas to not flirt anymore, then Harry wanted it to be over. Draco was going to get the Ministry ball as his final chance. If he didn't avoid flirting for just this one night, then Harry was going to end it. He couldn't do this anymore, and he had kept blindly hoping that Draco would realize that Harry was better then these other people in some way, before finally realizing that Draco would never see this.

Just then, Draco walked back in and told Harry he couldn't wait until tonight. Harry smiled slightly before saying

"Draco?"

Draco turned from his spot on the stairs leading to Harry's room and acknowledged Harry, so he continued talking.

"When we go to the party tonight, could you please not flirt with everything with a pulse that crosses your path?"

Harry hadn't meant for his request to come out sounding so sardonic, but his desperation and irritation was finally getting to him. Draco rolled his eyes, sighing loudly, before saying

"Fine. I will allow myself to suffer monogamy tonight so that you'll be happy. Happy?"

Harry knew that Draco didn't like this, and was almost certain that he wouldn't keep the promise, but that same small voice in his head told him to trust Draco '_just one last time_', so he reluctantly nodded his head and let Draco continue up the stairs.

HPDM

They had been at the party an hour, and Harry hadn't seen Draco in forty-five minutes. He had finally found Hermione, after an unsuccessful search near where Ron was standing with his brothers and then getting ambushed by Ginny attempting fruitlessly to make him jealous with her newest boyfriend yet again. Hermione was standing near the bar, looking disapproving, but her features softened when she saw Harry's approach.

"Hello, Harry. How are you?"

Harry smiled gently at her, even though he wasn't happy at all right now.

"Hi, Hermione. I've been better, to be honest. Have you seen Draco recently?"

Hermione's eyes suddenly widened, and she glanced nervously towards the bar, before looking back at Harry with apology in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I thought you knew about them, or else I would have said something."

Harry looked confusedly at her, and said

"Hermione, what do you have to be sor-"

He cut himself off as he looked towards the bar, and saw Draco. Namely, saw Draco with his hand under one of the bartender's shirt, blowing in his ear as the bartender massaged the hair on the back of Draco's neck. Instead of the boiling jealousy he had expected to experience at seeing this, all that happened to Harry was hearing that one little voice, the voice that had encompassed all his faith and love for Draco, whisper dejectedly

'It's time, Harry. Don't wait any longer.'

Harry closed his eyes slowly, to hold the pain that was evident in them from seeping through. When he was sure that Hermione (or Draco) wouldn't see any of it, he opened them again, before excusing himself from Hermione's side, and walked over to his boyfriend and the other man.

The bartender saw his approach and started to tell him to go away, but Harry just spun Draco around and said

"Draco, I need to talk to you. _Now_."

Draco rolled his eyes, asking him if he was feeling the need to fight coming on and was that all this was about. Harry couldn't take it anymore though, so he just grabbed Draco's arm, before dragging him outside into the street, to talk to him privately.

"Merlin, Harry. What do you think you're doing? I was so close to getting that bartender to go off with me and then you came and ruined everything! What was so bloody important that you had to interrupt me?"

Draco's irritation was cooling off now that he was seeing the serious stance of Harry's body. Now, he just sighed in defeat and said

"Harry, we've talked about this. I like to flirt with other people. I'm not a monogamy kind of guy. Would you just get over it?"

This seemed to crack all of the composure that Harry had constructed. He punched the side of the phone booth, before turning to Draco and saying

"No, Draco. I can't just 'get over it'. I have tried to ignore what you do every time we go out. Tried to pretend that you really aren't doing it every place we go. I have let myself keep hoping that one of these days you will discover that you love me, or at the very least realize that you don't want to keep cheating on me like this. Because it isn't just harmless flirting Draco! You just said you wanted to get that bartender to 'go off with you', and I may have never actually caught you, but I know for a fact that you have slept with some of these people you 'harmlessly flirt with'. I can't take it anymore, Draco!"

This caused Draco to pause. What exactly did Harry mean by saying that he just couldn't take this anymore?

"What are you talking about, Harry?"

Harry sighed, realizing now that it would never be a clean break from Draco. Even though he didn't want to be with someone who cheated on him so often anymore, it would never change the fact that he loved Draco very much. He would have moved in with him, or even married him if it came to that. Now he saw, though, that none of this would ever happen for them, even though it completely broke his heart to see this. He turned to Draco, and said quietly

"Draco, you know I love you more then anything. I know that you don't believe in falling in love with other people. I can respect that and I know that you're only twenty-one and want to taste life before considering settling down. I can't do this anymore though Draco. You don't seem to care that it hurts me more then anything to see you flirt with other people, and know that you've slept with some of them. I knew when we started this that it would never go far, but I fooled myself into thinking that you and I could prove the world wrong, and make this work. Now I see that it won't ever happen. You don't want to change, and I'm not going to be with someone who makes me feel like I'm not even worth their time. Someone who makes me feel like I'm not worth anyone's time, because I can't seem to hold your interest. Why did you agree to call me your boyfriend if you don't even want to say that we're exclusive? It's over, Draco. I'm done with this…and I'm done with you."

Harry was finally done with his long rant that doubled as his break-up speech. He finally looked up from where his eyes had been studying the dark ground, to see Draco just staring at him. He didn't look mocking, which Harry supposed was always a good sign. However, at the same time, he didn't look like it had affected him at all. The "Malfoy mask" of their childhood was in place, and Harry knew that this meant no matter what Draco was really feeling, he had just closed himself off from actually talking.

Harry sighed again, still fighting against the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes, wishing that he could get it through to Draco that this was it. If Draco let Harry walk away now, Harry would never be able to let him back in. Harry's trust was completely obliterated, and even if Draco ever were lucky enough to become Harry's friend again, there would never be the easy friendship they'd had, again.

Draco stayed stoic.

Harry nodded his head dismally. Slowly, he began to turn around, saying

"I'll be gone tomorrow morning, if you want to come get your things then. Have fun at the party, Draco."

And with that, Harry walked down the road and upon coming to the apparition point, apparated home.

Draco stood still, staring into the spot where Harry had once stood. If someone had come up upon him at that moment, he didn't know what he would have told them. It felt like someone had just forcefully ripped his heart out and stomped all over it. Draco went back into the party, grabbing a drink from the bartender who had been working the other side of the bar from where he'd been, and drank it slowly. At one point he thought he saw Hermione's eyes watching him, but he chose not to look and see her censure. Finally, he knew that it was time for him to go. As he went to apparate home, he allowed himself to finally give into the pain that he was feeling.

That night, two men stood in their bedrooms, one crying over the loss of the only person he'd ever allowed himself to fall in love with, and the other crying over letting himself make the biggest mistake of his life.

HPDM

So, that's it. This is the very first "angsty" fanfic I've ever written, so let me know what you think!

REVIEW!!!


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